Tappet valve silencer



R. E. RANDOLPH TAPPET VALVE SILENCER March 20, 1951 Filed April 23, 1948 l f l l l l Patented Mar. Z0, 1951 J. if

l' l UNITED L l STATES rATENT i oFF-lcs Robert Emmitiianaolph, Highland, Calif.

-. Application April 23, 1s4s,.seria1No. 22,830

The present invention silencers and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved valve actuating mechanism whereby the operation of the conventional tappet valves is gradual, positive and silent.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a tappet valve silencer which provides simple means for lubricating a ball and socket connection which forms a part of the invention.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a tappet valve silencer which is simple and inexpensive in construction yet ecient and effective in its operation.

Another object of my invention is to have the vertically extending arm or adjusting screw of a particular configuration and a compression coil spring surrounding the lower portion of the vertical arm and engaging the valve actuating rod, whereby lubricant can flow down and around the vertical arm and the tappet is maintained in contact with the valve stem at all times.

Gther and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly broken away, illustrating certain details of construction,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an element of the invention.

Generally there is provided a tappet valve construction which includes a normally springclosed valve having an upwardlyfextending stern which is contacted by one end of a rocker arm. The other end of the rocker arm has adjustably threaded therein an arm having an integrally formed ball-'shaped lower end which is engaged in a socket carried in the upper end of an actuating rod which is in turn reciprocated by a cam shaft. A spring surrounds the ballshaped portion of the arm and is held in position by a shoulder upon the stem and the socket. The stein is adjustable in the rocker arm and a lock nut is provided for holding the same in selected positions. y

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown therein a tappet valve II) having an upwardly extending stem Il protruding l ioiaim.; (crise-soif.;

relates to tappet valve through the jacket I2 of a cylinder I3. A seat I4 is provided inthe upper face of the jacket I2 for the reception of a compression spring I5 which surrounds the stem Il and bears against a washer I S axed to the stem adjacent the upper end thereof.

A rocker arm I'I is carried by a shaft I8 and has one end I9 positioned to bear against the upper end of the stem I I. The other end of the rocker arm is provided with an interiorly threaded integrally formed ring 23 in which is threaded a vertically extending arm 2| having a screw slot 22 formed in the upper end thereof and having a ball-shaped lower end 23.

A shoulder 2li is formed at the upper end 0f the ball-shaped portion and a compression spring 25 is interposed between the shoulder 24 and an annular lip 26 of a socket 21 integrally formed at the upper end of an actuating rod 28. A lock nut 29 is threadably mounted upon the arm 2E above the ring 2U.

Thus, it will be seen that the vertically extending arm 2| has a reduced portion at the upper end thereof carrying a tool-engaging surface 22 and threads on the arm for a large portion of its length terminating `in a circumferential shoulder 24, the diameter of the shoulder being substantially the same as the reduced upper portion with the arm extending inwardly further from the shoulder and then outwardly forming the ball-shaped end 23. 'I'he coil spring 25 surrounds the lower portion of the vertically extending arm 2l with its upper coil resting against the shoulder 24 and the lowermost coil contacting the relatively wide upwardly facing lip 25 of the actuating rod 23.

The operation of the device is conventional with the exception that the spring 25 at all times forces the ring 2l) in an upward direction thereby holding the end I9 in close contact with the upper end of the stem I i at all times. The spring 2s permits lubrication to pass between the convolutions thereof to reach the contact points between the ball 23 and the socket 21.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

Actuating mechanism for a valve of an internal combustion engine comprising a valve having a stem, a spring surrounding said stem aiding in closing said valve, a rocker arm having one end 3 engaging the stem, a ring formed in the other end of the rocker arm having internal threads therein, a Vertical arm having a reduced portion at the upper end carrying a tool engaging surface, the major portion of the vertical arm having screw threads thereon adapted to engage the internal threads of the rocker arm, the threaded portion of the vertical arm terminating in a circumferential shoulder with the inner diameter substantially tihesafriie as the rppr reducedpr# tion, a further reduced portion below the shoulder and an enlarged portion therebeyond terminating in a ball-shaped end, a compression coil spring whose outer diameter is substantiallytheisriie as the external diameter of the screw threads closely surrounding the lower iidf Jtlie'"vertical arm and normally extendngb'eyondthe ballshaped end, an upwardly extending actuating rod provided with a socket on its upper end iivifi'g the ball shaped end ofthe vertical arm, a relatively wide, at and upwardly facing lip on the upper end of the actuating rod surrounding the socket, the uppermost coil of the compression spring engaging the circumferential shoulder and the lowermost coil engaging the lip, whereby the valve stem engaging end of the rocker arm is held in engagement with the Valve stern by axial pressure of the coil spring and lubricant is `allowed to flow freely around the vertical arm to therball-sHaped-fnd and the rsocket.

ROBERT EMMIT RANDOLPH.

rtn'is patent "JT STATES PATENTS Name Date Zahodiakin Feb. 11, 1936 Number 

